Villainous Dodgers showing MLB owners how you should treat fans

An anonymous pitcher whose entire life changed in four innings is standing in a crowded bullpen at Dodger Stadium in the dead of winter when he hears a voice coming from the stands.

“Will, thank you very much!” shouts a fan, and under his thick beard, the thrower blushes.

“It’s something I’ve never had before,” Will Klein said.

And that ruins baseball?

In a crowded concourse in the middle of a Saturday morning, two months before the season starts, fans are sipping beers, skinning Dodgers dogs and even doing a line dance.

The queue for the elevator is endless. The shouts of the crowd are constant. Blake Snell walks along one of the barriers, high-fiving every – every – fan nearby.

And that ruins baseball?

The Dodgers officially opened their doors for the 2026 season on Saturday, hosting an annual Dodgerfest that sent a clear message to a landscape of whiners.

This is what victory looks like.

This is why winning is worth it.

Baseball owners will likely lock out players after this season in hopes of installing a salary cap that will reduce the type of spending that fueled the Dodgers’ back-to-back championships.

They don’t understand. By hoarding revenue sharing money, owners fail to realize the benefits of reinvesting that money into players and, by extension, fans.

The Dodgers do it more often and more effectively than anyone.

The result Saturday was a party in the middle of winter that was different from any of their previous parties. Some years they spent that day apologizing for their playoff failures. Last year, they spent the afternoon tentatively discussing the possibility of returning.

Fans gather at Dodger Stadium for Dodgerfest on Saturday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

This year, the constraints were off, the party was on, and they were all talking freely about becoming the first time in National League history to win three consecutive World Series titles.

“The threes in the air don’t bother me,” manager Dave Roberts said, adding: “There’s a challenge we’re not going to run away from.”

The players therefore presented themselves brandishing hope for this summer while gently admitting the emotion that still persists from last fall.

Klein, who came out of nowhere to save the Dodgers with four scoreless innings in the marathon Game 3 of the World Series, was still pinching himself at the thought of being recognized in public.

“A guy told me I looked the same,” he said. “I said, ‘Thank you.'”

Then there was Miguel Rojas, who found deeper meaning in his ninth-inning homer that tied Game 7 of the World Series.

“The most important thing is that everyone keeps saying it’s the best moment of their life, the best moment of sports they’ve watched,” Rojas said. “It makes me feel really good, because we were part of something bigger than just a home run.”

And Rojas said he hears that a lot.

“I waited 20 years in professional baseball to experience this moment… something different happened in my life,” he said. “I’m walking around Rome, I see Dodgers fans saying thank you for that home run. It’s crazy, it’s overwhelming.”

Equally upset was Freddie Freeman, who broke down in tears on stage while talking about the game-winning home run in the 18th inning of Game 3 of the World Series and the impact of winning two titles during his four years here.

“I’m home playing baseball in front of the best fans, day in and day out,” he said. “I couldn’t even imagine coming back and signing here and being a part of all of this. It blew my mind.”

Even the struggling players seemed excited to be here, with Tanner Scott acting incredibly relaxed when asked about his 2026 goals.

“It’s not as bad as last year,” he said. “I was horrible.”

Okay, then.

Ultimately, on a winter day, when most major league ballparks in this country were empty, Chavez Ravine was full of life, wonder and victory.

“Today we see a lot of fans and that really motivates me,” said Shohei Ohtani.

And that ruins baseball?

“This organization is never ready to go away…they keep adding players, they keep adding talent, it’s a good thing,” Rojas said. “We push ourselves…we believe we can always improve.”

As he said, it’s a good thing.

“I like to win,” Klein said. “People will always be jealous of teams that try to win when they feel like others don’t. Anyone can go out and do the same thing.”

Spring is here, the haters are out and the Dodgers are ready.

Seeing the players here, seeing their energy, obviously seeing the energy of the fans, it’s definitely the moment,” Roberts said.

Three rounds, it’s yours.